ESPN Ranks Three Bengals Among Top 50 Most Valuable NFL Players

Cincinnati's franchise quarterback led the way.

Author:
Russ Heltman
Publish date:
Jan 19, 2023 9:32 AM EST

In this story:

CINCINNATI — Joe Burrow will likely fall just short in the MVP race, but ESPN firmly placed him inside the top five of their final NFL player value rankings list.

The Bengals quarterback (No. 4) also had his top-two weapons join him on the list in Ja'Marr Chase (No. 41) and Tee Higgins (No. 42).

"On the surface, Burrow's stats significantly trail the top three players on this list," Seth Walder wrote. "But he also dealt with something the others didn't: a terrible offensive line. Cincinnati ranked 30th in pass block win rate and was somewhat bailed out because Burrow improved at sack avoidance. Yet despite that weak O-line, Burrow (helped by receivers Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase) led a Bengals offense that ranked fifth in EPA per dropback, behind only the Chiefs and Bills."

Walder described the ranking as "a purely descriptive exercise. It's simply a measure of who generated more value in 2022."

The top five in order were Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, Burrow, and Justin Jefferson.

Chase and Higgins ranked 10th and 11th among wide receivers.

Cincinnati and Buffalo meet in the divisional round this Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on CBS. The game is available via fuboTV—start your free trial here.

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